The Windows 11 release from Microsoft offers a more polished, refined look, plus a range of new features and clearly improved speed and performance. Many people chose to try Windows 11, and others installed Win 11 on their machines just to test the new operating system, only to find the new interface unfamiliar or to run into a few annoying minor bugs.
If you have installed Windows 11 but find it isn't for you and want to downgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 10, this guide will walk you through it.
How to downgrade Win 11 to Win 10 without losing data
This is the first method Hung Phat Laptop wants to share with you. It is also the one that matters most to users who want to downgrade Win 11 to Win 10 without losing important data.
Note: To avoid problems during the process, it is best to back up all of your data so you can restore it if something goes wrong.
Here is how to do it:
Step 1: First, press the Windows + I key combination to open Settings. Alternatively, you can click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Next, find and select Update & Security.
Step 3: Click Recovery, then select Go Back to the previous version of Windows 10.
Step 4: Finally, click Get Started to begin the downgrade. Wait about 30 minutes and everything will be back the way it was.
How to switch from Win 11 back to Win 10 within the first 10 days
If you upgraded to the Insider build of Windows 11, you can still roll back within the first 10 days of use. Here is how to downgrade Win 11 to Win 10:
Step 1: Open Settings with the key combination, then scroll down and select Windows Update -> Advanced options -> Recovery.
Step 2: Next, under Recovery Options, select Go Back to start downgrading the operating system.
Step 3: When you are asked why you want to go back to Win 10, you can pick any of the reasons offered or write your own answer for Microsoft.
Step 4: Select No Thanks to continue.
Step 5: Microsoft will now remind you to check your installed programs and back them up. Select Next to continue.
Step 6: Next, you will be reminded to remember your password so you can sign in. Select Next to continue.
Step 7: To start the downgrade, click Go back to an earlier.
Step 8: Finally, once the downgrade has finished successfully, enter your account password to sign in.
How to switch from Win 11 to Win 10 using Windows Recovery Environment
Windows Recovery Environment, abbreviated as Windows RE, is a useful feature for diagnosing and fixing many Windows problems. In particular, you can use it to uninstall or roll back Windows updates.
You can reach Windows RE easily from Settings, or by holding the F11 key. Note that the key combination differs from one computer model to another, so if F11 doesn't work, try F8, F9, or F12.
Here is how to downgrade Win 11 to Win 10 with Windows RE:
Step 1: In the Windows RE interface, select See advanced repair options.
Step 2: Then select Choose an options and then select Troubleshoot.
Step 3: Next, click Advanced options.
Step 4: When a new window appears on the screen, select Uninstall Updates.
Step 5: The screen will now show two choices. Select Uninstall latest feature update.
Step 6: Finally, to confirm, click Uninstall feature update.
Just wait a moment while the system does the work automatically. If prompted, click Next or Yes to confirm the switch to Windows 10.
Problems that can occur after downgrading Win 11 to Win 10
You can upgrade a computer from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and downgrade again later. However, after downgrading from Windows 11, the operating system may run into a few problems, so keep them in mind before you decide to go ahead.
When you open Task Manager and go to the Performance tab, the Wi-Fi graph may not appear. It may return to normal after you restart the computer. Or, after you install an app such as Windows Terminal from the Store, opening it from the Start menu may not work, and you will be redirected to the Microsoft Store instead.
You can try this with another app and get the same result. After downgrading Win 11 to Win 10, you may run into a variety of other errors. If the operating system is unstable or shows many minor bugs after the downgrade, the best fix is to do a clean install of Windows 10.
That wraps up Hung Phat Laptop's guide to the simplest way to downgrade Win 11 to Win 10 without losing data. If you no longer like Windows 11, you can always go back to the Windows 10 experience you had before. Good luck!
